Digital Skills A Primer

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD)
Volume 6 Issue 4, May-June 2022 Available Online: www.ijtsrd.com e-ISSN: 2456 – 6470
@ IJTSRD | Unique Paper ID – IJTSRD50096 | Volume – 6 | Issue – 4 | May-June 2022 Page 580
Digital Skills: A Primer
Matthew N. O. Sadiku1
, Uwakwe C. Chukwu2
, Abayomi Ajayi-Majebi3
, Sarhan M. Musa1
1
Roy G. Perry College of Engineering, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, TX, USA
2
Department of Engineering Technology, South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, SC, USA
3
Department of Manufacturing Engineering, Central State University, Wilberforce, OH, USA
ABSTRACT
Digital skills are the essential skills you need to study, work,
participate, contribute, and operate in our fast-evolving digital world.
They enable individuals to create and share digital content,
communicate and collaborate, and solve problems. Digitalization has
changed the nature of work making digital skills essential for the
modern workforce.
Demand for digital skills has increased dramatically in recent years
as the workplace has become digitized. Shortage in digital skills, due
to a lack of training opportunities, is leaving organizations unable to
recruit the digitally skilled workers they need. This paper provides an
overview of digital skills and its uses.
KEYWORDS: digital skills, digital literacy skills, digital competence
skills
How to cite this paper: Matthew N. O.
Sadiku | Uwakwe C. Chukwu | Abayomi
Ajayi-Majebi | Sarhan M. Musa "Digital
Skills: A Primer" Published in
International Journal
of Trend in
Scientific Research
and Development
(ijtsrd), ISSN: 2456-
6470, Volume-6 |
Issue-4, June 2022,
pp.580-587, URL:
www.ijtsrd.com/papers/ijtsrd50096.pdf
Copyright © 2022 by author(s) and
International Journal of Trend in
Scientific Research and Development
Journal. This is an
Open Access article
distributed under the
terms of the Creative Commons
Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)
INTRODUCTION
Digital technology is the reality of the world we live
in. It touches every aspect of our lives in a way. It is a
major driver for growth, productivity,
competitiveness, and innovative capacity. The global
economyis increasingly digitalized. The globalization
of the digital economy is profoundly impacting every
industry in every nation. Automation and
digitalization are affecting almost all jobs and placing
new demands on everyone. In the past decade, we
have experienced a massive digital transformation
such as social media, smart devices, 5G internet,
advanced analytics, cloud computing, artificial
intelligence, etc. Taken together, these technologies
are transformational, disruptive, and have had a
significant impact on daily jobs worldwide [1].
Different technologies and skills can be used by
individuals to accommodate both their age and their
objective.
Digital skill is any skill that qualifies a person to
become digitally literate. Digital skills have become
crucial in our society today. All organizations are
now realizing that digital skills are very important for
employees in the digital era. Employees need to be
cross-disciplined and have both hard and soft skills.
Those with digital skills, including coding, web
development, and digital marketing, will become
highly valued. Acquiring digital skills to enter the job
market of the 21st
century is becoming vital. The
technological revolution is creating new opportunities
and workers need digital skills so as not to be left
behind.
WHAT ARE DIGITAL SKILLS?
Digital skills refer a range of abilities to use digital
devices and digital networks to access and manage
information. Digital skills are various skills and
abilities that enable a person to communicate
effectively, collaborate, and solve problems using
digital tools. Skills are often attributed to intangible
qualities, traits, attributes, and attitudes. These
include empathy, leadership, sense of responsibility,
integrity, self-esteem, self-management, motivation,
flexibility, sociability, time management, and
decision making. Skills may be “soft,” “technical,” or
“hard” skills which are deemed as highly specific in
nature and often attributed to occupations or careers.
Soft skills are sometimes referred to as human skills
IJTSRD50096

International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development @ www.ijtsrd.com eISSN: 2456-6470
or ‘transferrable skills [2]. Being able to operate
computers, smartphones, and the Internet are
elementary skills within TEH modern world. These
skills are included in the general ability to use
hardware and software.
Digital skills are regarded next to other necessary
skills such as effective communication, collaboration,
etc., They make you feel confident in your own
capabilities to navigate through a constantly changing
digital environment. Digital skills are rapidly
translating from “good to have” to “must have,”
especially in the corporate world [3]. Changes in
culture, based on the new technology, have effects on
the use of terms. In recent years, several terms have
been used to describe the skills and competence of
using digital technologies. Such terms include ICT
skills, technology skills, information technology
skills, 21st century skills, information literacy, digital
literacy, and digital skills [4].
Digital skills can be categorized in six key areas [5]:
1. ICT Proficiency
2. Information, data, and media literacies
3. Digital creation, problem solving, and innovation
4. Digital communication, collaboration, and
participation
5. Digital learning and development
6. Digital identity and wellbeing.
The digital skills training will help improve the
participants’ use of digital skills to contribute to their
economic growth as entrepreneurs, thereby further
filling in critical gaps in the labor market, fitting their
businesses within existing supply chains, and
invariably contributing to development.
TYPES OF DIGITAL SKILLS
One can divide skills into basic, intermediate, and
advanced digital skills.
At the bottom, we have what the UK Department for
Education (DfE) calls “digital foundation skills.”
Foundation skills are needed in all circumstances
before moving on to develop skills for life and skills
for work. They are entry-level digital skills or basic
functional skills required to make basic use of digital
devices and online applications. They are widely
considered a critical component of a new set of
literacy skills in the digital era, with traditional
reading, writing, and numeracy skills. The five digital
foundation skills for life and work are
communicating, handling information and content,
transacting, problem solving, and being safe and legal
online. They are needed in a day-to-day professional
or personal context. They are illustrated In Figure 1
[6]. Basic or entry-level digital skills can include [7]:
Computer literacy
Digital literacy
Problem solving
Creativity
Data entry
Social media
Web-based communications and research
Word processing
Email and chat
Secure information processing
Using the right digital devices
Using different online resources
Sharing information effectively
Establishing good data security practices
Communicate and collaboration
Staying safe in the digital environment.
Advanced digital skills refer to highly specific skills
required for particular job roles. They require
proficiency in intermediate digital skills and should
ideally be taught as part of the curriculum in higher
education institutions. These are higher-level abilities
that allow users to make use of digital technologies in
empowering and transformative ways such as
professions in ICT. Major digital transformations
such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning,
big data analytics, and cloud computing change skills
requirements and equip one for skills development for
the 21st century digital economy. Advanced digital
skills for the workplace are taking businesses by
storm [8]. Advanced digital skills can include [7]:
Programming, web, and app development
Digital business analysis
Digital marketing and content creation
Digital design and data visualization
Digital product management
Data science
User experience design
DEVELOPING YOUR DIGITAL SKILLS
Many Americans lack digital skills, and these skill
gaps are disproportionately large for individuals
facing other barriers such as limited English
proficiency, poverty, and limited education. To meet
the demands of the future workforce, training in
digital competence, digital literacy, and digital skills
from early years to elderly citizens is needed to
prepare people for different careers. There are free
digital skills courses for all levels.Everyone must
ensure that our digital skillset is as wide as possible
for future need. Digital skills are developed over time.
Digital skills are acquired over time through
educational and social use of technology, through
formal instruction, informal self-learning, and
learning from peers.
Adults: Effort should be made to teach adults or
young students digital skills. The need for digital

skills become more pronounced as we climb the
career ladder. Digital skills can be imparted is on-
the-job training, with junior staff learning, and
honing their digital skills with their managers. For
those looking to hone their basic digital skills,
various tutorials, courses, and how-to guides are
available online. These courses may covering
topics such as web analytics, social media, and
artificial intelligence. These courses are designed
to equip learners with essential digital skills for
the modern century workplace. With the right
skills, software, and a good internet connection,
anyone can be a digital freelancer [8]. Figure 2
shows some digital skills everyone should know
[9].
Children: The way children use technology is
very different from adults. Children are using
digital technologies and media at increasingly
younger ages and for longer periods of time. They
spend an average of seven hours a day in front of
screens – from televisions and computers, to
mobile phones and various digital devices.
Although the digital world is good for learning
and entertainment, children are exposed to many
risks such as cyberbullying, technology addiction,
obscene and violent content, radicalization,
scams, and identity theft. Parents, educators, and
leaders, must prepare children for the digital age
and for the workplace [10].
Women: Gender divides in digital skills are
severe. Women are 1.6 times more likely than
men to report lack of skills as a factor impeding
their use of the Internet. Women constitute an
underrepresented asset in America’s technology
workforce. Women who do not have experience
in the tech/digital/IT industry need to develop
digital skills. Their learning will include digital
literacy, digital marketing, databases, digital
advertising, email marketing, cybersecurity,
programming, and more. This will help them
build confidence, learn industry language, and be
better positioned to enter a career in
digital/tech/IT [11].
Elderly Citizens: Older adults are regarded as
those who are age 50 or older. As a result of
increases in life expectancy, improvements in
physical health, decreases in the number of
physically demanding jobs, and increases in the
Social Security retirement age, Americans are
working longer and older workers have become a
significantly larger percentage of total jobseekers.
Older Americans have lower levels of digital
skills than younger Americans. Older Americans
from historically oppressed groups (i.e., people of
color and women) have lower levels of digital
skills than older white workers. Older Americans
with better computer and internet access have
higher levels of digital skills than older
Americans who do not, but their digital skills are
still lower than younger Americans even when
they have access. Older workers with more digital
skills have significantly higher earnings than
those with less and are better positioned to
compete for the jobs of the future [12].
APPLICATIONS OF DIGITAL SKILLS
Workers need advanced digital skills across major
industry sectors such as education, healthcare,
entrepreneurship, social work, manufacturing,
business, construction, retail, and hospitality. The
following are typical examaples.
Education: Education and training institutions
must rise up to the challenges of automation and
digitization. The current pandemic has compelled
educators to be increasingly dependent on the
power of digital and web technologies to conduct
their daily teaching virtually. Education sector
must increase the number of youth and adults
with relevant technical and vocational skills for
jobs. To do this requires that modern teachers
have the four essential skills shown in Figure 3
[13]. It should eliminate gender disparities in
education and ensure equal access to all levels. In
spite of the recent governmental investments in
the digital infrastructure for education and
training, large disparities still exist and affect
lower-income households who are excluded from
digital access and lack basic digital skills [14].
For example, the most important skills for an
MBA to learn, in today’s world, are digital skills.
Relevant digital skills for MBA students are
illustrated in Figure 4 [15].
Workplace: Modern workplaces are designed to
be responsive to market trends. Major digital
transformations such as artificial intelligence,
machine learning, robotics, and big data analytics
change skills requirements and skills development
for the 21st-century digital economy. These
digital technologies are reshaping work. Both
employers and employees are expected to hone
digital and soft skills to take advantage of the new
opportunities. Having a workforce that knows
how to use them effectively is key to a company's
success. Digital skills are increasingly a pre-
requisite to participate effectively in the
workplace and will continue to be required in the
future. From the most basic level such as sending
emails to data science and AI, our professional
lives are ever more dependent upon being able to

use and master new technologies [16]. In the
world of work, employers are forced to close
offices due to the current pandemic and only
allow jobs which lend themselves to teleworking.
Business: Businesses are struggling to integrate
new technologies to the existing business
practices. The lack of digital skills is hindering
organizations from embracing potentially
valuable emerging technologies such as artificial
intelligence, robotic, and automation. Business
leaders believe their organizations need two
digital skills: being able to develop and manage a
move to cloud-based infrastructure and
developing cyber security competencies [17].
Businesses must consider upskilling to give older
workers the chance to become more tech-savvy
and equip the younger generation with the skills
needed to take on the future world of work.
Digital Marketing: Marketing is at the core of all
business activities. Without marketing,
organizations cannot sell and without sales there
is no revenue and without revenue people cannot
run business. Digital marketing is an umbrella
term used for referring to all online marketing
activities. It creates the potential for direct selling
to the customers and allows people to consume
digital content on a daily basis. Digital marketing
(or Internet marketing) refers to marketing of
products or services using digital technologies,
mainly the Internet and mobile phones. It allow
sellers and buyers to conduct transactions
electronically through communications networks
such as the Internet, intranet, and extranet. As
more and more customers use digital devices
instead of visiting physical stores, digital
marketing become more prevalent. Digital
markets are more efficient than traditional or
offline markets with respect to price levels, menu
costs, and price elasticity [18]. Content is at the
forefront of digital marketing, therefore content
marketing becomes a big player in your firm’s
online presence.
BENEFITS
The digital world is exploding with opportunities to
put digital skills to work. Digital skills are the
linchpin of modern workplaces. While expanding
training to meet soaring demand is a challenge, it is
also a unique opportunity to diversify the talent pool.
Organizations can embrace this opportunity, and reap
the benefits of a more diverse and more skilled
workforce. Other benefits include [19]:
Citizens and businesses will be digitally confident
and able to take full advantage of the
opportunities that digital technologies can offer.
Young people have the opportunity to be digitally
competent and evolve into enterprising, creative
and innovative thinkers with good prospects for
rewarding jobs.
Organizations deliver services based on user
needs, making informed and effective decisions
and developing a digital and data culture.
Businesses invest in their workforce as they
recognize the value that digital skills bring.
Talent is developed and retained across public
and private sectors.
The rapid digitization of skills has opened new
job opportunities.
Digital skills fuel the digital economy.
Updating an employee's digital skills assures that
there are no unproductive gaps in their line of
work.
Digital skills are critical to finding or keeping
jobs and also critical to closing the digital divide.
Digital skills training attracts and retains talent.
Reducing your digital skills gap increases
efficiency.
CHALLENGES
Traditionally, education institutions were built with
organizational structures that did not take seamless
technology integration into account. Other challenges
include the following [20]:
1. There is a strong correlation between people’s
levels of education and digital skills especially in
developing nations.
2. Digital and social inequalities affect opportunities
to develop digital skills.
3. Digital skills gap is the challenge of not finding
people with the right skills. It is serious problem.
On a global scale, the digital skills gap comes at a
cost.
4. Integration of new technologies places pressure
on workers to keep up with changes in order to
avoid job losses.
5. Ensuring the necessary digital skills levels for
everyone remains a significant challenge.
6. Without policy interventions, technological
developments threaten to exacerbate the
inequalities between those with and without
digital skills and between men and women.
7. US universities still are not producing enough
computer science graduates.
8. The democratization of digital skills will not
reach every country, industry, and community
equally.

CONCLUSION
The rise of digitalization has shifted economies and
changed skills demand. The demand for digitally
skilled professionals has risen dramatically in recent
years. Digital skills are critical for all kinds of
industries and businesses. Advances like artificial
intelligence, machine learning, robotics, cloud
computing, and big data continue to transform the
way we communicate, work, market, and make
decisions. In the digital era, all organizations are
realizing that digital skills are vital for employees.
As the Internet is increasing becoming part of
everyday life, policy makers have developed a range
of initiatives to try to ensure that all individuals have
access to the Internet and make use of the
opportunities the Internet and ICTs offer. Such
opportunities include emailing, social media, online
learning, employment, networking, ecommerce, and
informational opportunities. Policy makers should
consider both education for those entering the
workforce from the traditional education system (e.g.,
high schools, universities, and community colleges)
and reskilling those currently in the workforce with
the skills needed to remain competitive [21]. It is
therefore imperative that each nation has an action
plan for increasing the digital literacy and digital
skills. Nations have several options for assessing the
performance and impact of their digital skills
programs. More information about digital skills can
be found in the books in [22-29].
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Figure 1 The digital foundation skills [6].

Figure 2 Some digital skills everyone should know [9].
Figure 3 Modern teachers must have the four essential skills [13].

Figure 4 Relevant digital skills for MBA students [15].

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